Find: Electronic Milton

One of the local thrift stores (Thrift Mart on University Dr.) had a 50% off of sale today. I happened to drop by earlier and found out about it. I thought it might be a good chance to pick up some needed clothes for our children cheaply. Well, that and I spotted a copy of Essential Super-Villain Team-Up in one of their display cases. I couldn't see the price, but figured anything cheaper than cover price would be a good deal.

Then, over the weekend, I saw a commercial for the sale on TV. But surely, that won't really affect how many people show up that much, will it? Well, I can't say for sure what it was, but there were tons of people there. We arrived around lunch time and decided to go eat before coming back.

Upon our return, it wasn't any better. After we'd been inside a while, my oldest son pointed out that the checkout line stretched all the way to the back of the store! But at least the book was still there. And just $9.98, meaning today it would be $5! I'd searched the Web and discovered that the book, now out of print, can't be had for less than $20 online, so it was a steal.

However, this entry is about the electronic game I found called Milton. As you might have guessed, it's from Milton Bradley and features the short-lived MB Electronics logo on the box. I'm by no means an expert on such games and this one was unfamiliar to me. The box was taped shut, but I decided it was easily worth the $1 (originally priced $1.98) gamble to buy it.

As you can see on Wikipedia, this game came out in 1980, a couple years after Simon. I suspect from the round design and one-word name, they were hoping to capitalize on the huge success Simon was turning out to be. Apparently they were so confident it would be a hit, they were willing to name it after the company! Unfortunately for Milton Bradley, the game was not a hit and quickly became an obscurity.

One thing I found interesting is the inclusion of a power adapter. Again, I'm no expert, but I can't think of any similar electronic games of the time that weren't battery powered. I know adapters were offered for some electronic games of the age, but they were alternatives to batteries and usually had to be purchased separately. I love the big warning on the front of the box: "CAUTION: ELECTRICALLY OPERATED PRODUCT / Not recommended for children under 7 years of age. As with all electric products, precautions should be observed during handling and use to prevent electric shock." And you thought today's product warning labels were excessive!

So when I got home, I found inside the box the game, the adapter, one piece of Styrofoam for the adapter, and a feedback/registration card. No instructions, but the back of the box summarizes the three games well enough. Essentially, you've got to match the first (the red circles) and last words (the yellow circles) of various phrases (e.g. "kiss my lips", "flush your toilet"). It's like the card game Memory, but with spoken words instead of cards. So during play, you get phrases like "kiss my . . . toilet". Hilarity ensues.

Oh yes, just as the box says, it talks! And fairly well, too. From my experience with talking electronics, I'd guess they used recorded speech rather than completely electronically-generated speech. The interesting thing is that Milton has an accent I can't quite put my finger on. I initially was thinking Southern, but my wife said Cajun and she may be right. Judge for yourself by watching this YouTube video. (Not mine.) It also gives some basic instructions as you go, which is much more user-friendly than some other electronic games of the day I've tried to play without instructions. (I'm looking at you, Comp IV!)

Unfortunately, while this one is in working condition, the power cord is touchy. It fits into the game loosely and if bumped, will cause the game to reset. I'm not sure that anything can be done about that. The contacts also look like they need some cleaning. The adapter has a three-prong arrangement I've not seen on any other electronics.

This makes an interesting addition to my vintage electronic (non-video) game collection. I have yet to try it with my kids beyond a brief game with my 3-year-old daughter, but I suspect it won't hold any long-term interest with them. I can see why it wasn't a big hit.

Re: Just a small brag [Mattel Football I handheld]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

In article , Relic wrote:

Went into a local thrift store earlier today and found a number of the old Mattel Electronics devices laying around their toy section. My guess is that someone got rid of their collection en masse judging how many devices were there. I just picked up three (fearing that they may not work); Football 1 (1977 copyright on back), Auto Race (1976 on back, missing the battery cover) and Battlestar Galactica Space Alert (1978, missing battery cover).

Cool!

To add my own brag, I found a Football I at a church rummage sale for
$0.50 a month or two ago. And it had the battery cover, something the
one I've had since back in the '80s is missing. Works, too.

This Week's Finds [Mattel Baseball, Lost Luggage, catalogs]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I didn't get out much this week due to a stomach virus. But I still had some luck. First stop Thursday was to go pick up a Mattel Baseball handheld I'd seen earlier. At $3.75, I'd been hesitant to pick it up, but a quick check of eBay afterwards confirmed I should have gotten it the first time. I was tempted to let it sit until it was half-price, but at this store it seems anything I want disappears the day it goes to half-price. Oh, and it was still there. Now it'll be eBait.

The last stop Thursday netted me a copy of Lost Luggage (green label) with the manual for $0.50! I've been looking for this for a while. I found one last summer, but the board is loose and I haven't had a chance to repair it. (Gotta be careful so I don't ruin the label.) This one works fine. I also picked up Apollo and Spectravideo catalogs with it, as I didn't have those. Oh, and an Entex Hockey for $1. It has some cloudy spots on the screen and I wasn't real impressed with it, so I may trade it.

I'd forgotten to take my list with me, so when I got back I discovered I should have picked up the Towering Inferno for its manual, too. I went back today (Friday) and did so, also deciding to pick up Defender & Atlantis (label upgrades) and Planet Patrol just to round things out to $2. All came with manuals. It just occurred to me, however, that I think I didn't really need that Defender. I need to get my printed list updated again, I guess.

A prior Friday stop netted me a Coleco Alien Attack handheld for $1.50. I can't say much about it yet as I don't keep C batteries at work. It looks nice and clean, though.

I also picked up two N64 promotional video tapes. The ones they send in the mail to registered customers. I only ever got two in the mail myself, as I never upgraded to the N64 from my SNES (that I rarely play). I already had both of them (Diddy Kong Racing & Banjo-Kazooie), but figures extras won't hurt at $0.50 each. Does anyone else collect these? I don't know why I started. Partly to preserve them, partly in hopes they'll be a wanted item in the future
since everyone seems to throw them out eventually.

[I eventually gave the Entext Hockey to a fellow collector who's also a big hockey fan. I found it incredibly hard to hit the ball in Mattel Baseball, so it went on eBay, as did the Alien Attack. —15 August 2010]

Today's finds [2600 Racquetball, Colecovision Spy Hunter & Spectron, Comp IV]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

I hit a store today and was surprised to see they had some new Atari 2600 games in. ("New" as in used games that were new to the store.) I pick out what I thought was two 2600 carts and one Colecovision cart for about $1 each. Later, in the car, I glanced in the bag and noticed that there were actually two Colecovision carts. I had previously not noticed the distinctive Colecovision shape at the end of one of them. It turns out both CV carts are rare! Here's what I
got:

• Racquetball (2600; tradebait)
• Spy Hunter (CV; now I *really* need a Super Action controller)
• Spectron (CV)

The labels aren't in the best shape. In fact, the two CV carts look like they've been stored in an open box in someone's basement for several years. I also noticed after I bought them that the labels around the screw holes have been punched through, so I hope they really are what they say they are. (I once bought a Destructor that turned out to be a non-working Super Action Baseball.)

I also picked up a Comp IV at another store. For those that don't know, Leonard Herman says in Phoenix that this was the first electronic game produced commercially. This is my second one, and I still need the instructions. Anyone got them? (Photocopy, ASCII, anything!)

[I still don't have Super Action Controllers for my Colecovision. And I can't check at the moment, but I believe the two Colecovision games worked and were what they said. I believe I also found some form of instructions for the Comp IV as well. Interestingly, the silkscreen on the "screen" of the second Comp IV is different from that on the first. —15 August 2010]

Hardly a brag [Mattel Football I handheld, 5200 joysticks, Pac-Man Fever 45]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

When yard sale/rummage sale hopping on Saturday. The only video game items I saw at all were a Virtual Boy w/1 game($15; I passed), a Mattel Football handheld w/o battery cover ($0.25; I took), and a pair of 5200 controllers ($1; I took). The Mattel Football replaces my older unit which I've been unable to repair. (I don't have a screwdriver bit in the shape of a little triangle. Damn you, Mattel Electronics!) The 5200 controllers I haven't tested yet, but I only got them for spare parts. Someone's messed with them before because the two fire buttons are missing from one side of one and the flex circuit for the Start/Pause/Reset buttons has been incorrectly reinserted.

Finally, the minor brag. On a lark, I flipped through the 45s at one yard sale. About the third one in was the Pac-Man Fever single. One dime later, it was mine! This prompted me to finally hook up the turntable I bought at a yard sale last year. Now I've finally heard the instrumental version of Pac-Man Fever. I just need the Donkey Kong single now.

[I've since bought the Donkey Kong single on eBay. I still could use that stupid triangle-shaped bit, though! — 18 June 2010]

Re: What was your last thrift purchase??

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic. Robert Batina asked, "tell everyone what your last thrift store purchase was and why."]

THRIFT STORE:
What?
-----
Five boxed Intellivision games with manuals and overlays for $2 each. (A bit pricey, but that's the going rate for classic cartridges at this thrift, boxed or not. I refuse to buy anything from them unless it's boxed and I don't have it.)

Why?
----
"Recently" bought an Intellivision + Intellivoice ($5) elsewhere and needed more games. Left a couple with boxes, but no overlays and/or instructions.

RUMMAGE SALE:
What?
-----
Boxed Odyssey 2000 with switchbox, power adaptor, and packing foam. (Only lacked instructions, as if I needed them.) Also a Merlin with half the instructions. Five bucks for both.

Why?
----
Desperate to buy *something* so I felt like I hadn't wasted my time. 8) Also, it was a high school band fund raiser and I was in band back in high school, so I sympathized with them and didn't try to talk them down. Besides, I didn't have an Odyssey 2000 or a working Merlin.

[I honestly don't remember either of these very well any more, so I can't give any more details. I'd guess the Intellivision games came from the Breaking Free Rescue Mission Thrift Store, based on the comments, but I'm not 100% certain. — 2 July 2010]

June's Finds [heavy sixer, Chuck Norris, H.E.R.O., blue 2600 catalog, original Odyssey games, Pong coin-op, Scramble handheld, Vectrex]

[Originally posted to rec.games.video.classic.]

Well, I kept meaning to write up weekly finds, but never seemed to get to it. Here's a summary of what I found in June (or thereabouts).

1. A six-switch 2600 (possibly an original) with 40+ games for $18. (Less than $0.50 per game plus the system for free is how I figure it.) Highlights include Chuck Norris (Xonox single-ender), Star Wars: The Arcade Game (my second; no offers yet, please), H.E.R.O. w/manual, and Space Shuttle w/manual & overlay (I bought it new post-Crash, so I got a black & white manual and no overlay, but blue label.). Many other games had manuals as well, plus some game catalogs. One catalog was an original blue Atari which, combined with how heavy I thought the system was, leads me to think it's an original. I haven't had a chance to test it or the carts yet. I seem to have misplaced my alcohol for cleaning them.

One pair of paddles has been "fixed". The guy put new knobs on them, which are stiffer than the old ones. He said he'd been meaning to give it all to his grandchildren, but he never remembered. When he was cleaning out his shed for the yard sale, he decided to put it out, too.

2. Some boxes of original Odyssey games. I was amazed. I never figured I'd see anything like these. I was disappointed to find out each game didn't include a new card. Nevertheless, I now have cards 7 and 8 to go with 1-6, 9. 8) Oh, and they've already been traded for a bunch of neat stuff, so don't ask.

3. Pong coin-op by Atari. Yes, the first commercially successful coin-op video game is *my* first coin-op! Unfortunately, it doesn't work . . . yet. Oh, and yes, I found it at a thrift store. The same day, I saw a Zaxxon coin-op at another thrift store, but it was more expensive and I never really cared for Zaxxon. It was the first time I'd ever seen a coin-op at a thrift store.

4. A few good Atari 8-bits carts: Miner 2049er, Decathalon, Popeye, and Star Trek: SOS. Can you say "trade bait"? I knew you could. 8)

5. Scramble "hand-held" by Tomy. Works great and in good shape. I'm impressed by how fun and challenging it is so far. Between it and the Coleco Frogger mini-arcade I bought last year, I guess I've got a collection started. 8)

6. Something good should be on it's way to my house. I don't want to say anything more for fear of jinxing it. Let's just say I'm adding a new system to my list to collect for (currenty 2600, 7800, and original Odyssey (I guess)) and finding cartridges won't be easy.

7. A co-worker knew I collected old video games, but asked if I also collected memorabilia. Of course I answered yes, so the next day he brought me a Robot Tank poster in mint condition! His parents had brought it down with a bunch of his stuff from their house. It's been a while since I've seen the RT box, but I'm almost positive this art isn't the same. Does anybody know the scoop on how one originally got these? Send UPC's or what?

[The first set of 2600 items came from a yard sale.

The boxed original Odyssey games came from a Magnavox dealer that was going out of business. Oddly enough, it was where my regular comic book store, The Deep, is now located at N. Memorial Parkway and Mock Road. These were sets of games still in the shipping boxes. After buying one, the manager (owner?) told me there were more in the trash. They took me around to a room outside, in the back. There were many more of these shipping boxes of original Odyssey games! I left behind many that were water damaged, a decision I now regret some. I wound up trading away all the extra boxes for a lengthy list of items from Jerry Greiner, a major collector who had made a business out of classic video games. They were available from his site, www.atari2600.com, for a long time, but now I no longer see them there.

The story of my Pong coin-op can be found in an 18 June 1996 entry. The Zaxxon I saw at the Downtown Rescue Mission Thrift Store, back when it was still on 9th Ave. SW, just around the bend from Seminole Drive. I'll say more about #6 below. The Robot Tank poster came from the same co-worker who I later bought his complete 5200 collection. — 2 July 2010]

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Date: 9 July 1996

In article <4rf1r0$o6h@taco.cc.ncsu.edu>, John Vivian Matthews wrote:
>But isn't there a multicart for the Vec...oops.
>
>matt
>
>ps And I'm only guessing...

Well, it was a good guess. My Vectrex finally arrived yesterday (Monday) evening. One controller, no overlays, no manuals, Minestorm ('natch), Armor Attack cartridge, and Berzerk on a PROM board with no case. A multicart and converted Sega controller are definitely on my "wish list" now. AFAIK, I'm the first rgvc'er in Alabama to get one. I know one guy has some cartridges, so we'll have to get together some time and test them. (Hi, Ralph.) This is a neat system and it's not going anywhere for a long, long time, emulator or not.

[The Vectrex came from Russ Melanson, who also did the original logo for my website, the Classic Video Games Nexus (defunct). He gave it to me, asking nothing in return. I was amazed. I still sent him some money, not nearly enough, as a high school graduation present.

Ralph was Ralph Hulcher, a collector in Birmingham, who I'd met the year before. We never did get together to test his Vectrex carts and eventually fell out of touch, unfortunately. — 2 July 2010]